• Presentation: Agree or disagree?
• Presentation: Equipment.
• Presentation: Preparation skills.
• Scissors (one each).
• Glue stick (one between two).
• An extra adult to supervise a skills table (see Main event).
• Equipment to practise cutting skills (see Main event):
  • a table knife;
  • a fork;
  • a green chopping board;
  • foods to cut, such as pepper, boiled egg and avocado flesh.
• Equipment to practise grating skills (see Main event):
  • 1 box grater;
  • 1 white chopping board;
  • 1 green chopping board;
  • foods to grate, such as cucumber and cheese.
• Equipment to practise snipping skills (see Main event):
  • 2 pairs of scissors;
  • 2 bowls or cups to snip into;
  • 2 green chopping boards;
  • foods to snip, such as coriander, parsley and spring onions.
• Equipment to practise spreading skills (see Main event):
  • 2 spoons;
  • 2 table knives;
  • foods to spread, such as hummus or mayonnaise.
• A large bowl to collect prepared foods (see Main event).

Subject knowledge

The Teacher videos explain the progress children should make in cooking skills.

Year 2 progression information can be found at:

• 1:22 – 2:10 of the Teacher video: Progression in cutting skills.
• 0:39 – 1:00 of the Teacher video: Progression in grating skills.
• 0:56 – 1:32 of the Teacher video: Progression in snipping skills.
• 0:25 – 0:49 of the Teacher video: Progression in spreading skills.

The pupil video is designed to show the skills the children can use without restricting their ingredient choices.

Matching activity

The matching activity promotes discussion and is designed to allow children to reason about different pieces of equipment and foods.

A suggested answer might be:

• The coriander with the scissors and the snipping icon (a pair of scissors.
• The hummus with the table knife or the spoon and the spreading icon (a pieces of toast and a knife).
• The cheese with the grater and the grating icon (a grater).
• The avocado with the table knife or the spoon and the cutting icon (a chopping board and a knife) or the spreading icon.

The avocado can be prepared either by cutting it or by spreading it. The cheese could be cut but is quite resistant so grating is the safer choice. Children should reason that it is easier to snip the herbs than to cut them. They use their learning from the Attention grabber, Main event and practical elements of the lesson to help them with this task.

Lesson organisation

Ensure you have an extra adult in the lesson to supervise the preparation skills activities. Ask the extra adult to supervise the children practising their cutting and grating closely.

Before the lesson, set up the table where the children will practise the food preparation skills (cutting, grating, snipping and spreading). The table should include:

• 1 space to practise cutting skills with a table knife, a fork, a green chopping board and foods to cut, such as pepper, boiled egg and avocado flesh.
• 1 space to practise grating skills with a box grater, a green chopping board, a white chopping board and foods to grate, such as cucumber and cheese.
• 2 spaces to practise snipping skills each with a pair of scissors, a bowl, a green chopping board and foods to snip, such as coriander, parsley and spring onions.
• 2 spaces to practise spreading skills each with a spoon, a table knife and foods to spread, such as hummus and mayonnaise.

The children will visit the food preparation table in groups of six. Allow the children to spend a few minutes practising each skill in a carousel. Those who are not at the table will be working on a different task (see Main event).

• The children should not attempt cutting cucumber in Year 2 as it is too resistant, but they can grate it.
• The white chopping board is used for preparing dairy items and can be used as a base for the box grater.
• The green chopping board is for preparing the fruit and vegetable items.

Health and safety

This lesson involves food preparation.

• The children must wash their hands before and after handling food.
• Keep knives and other sharp implements away from the children unless supervised.
• If there are known allergies in the class, adjust the lesson.

Sensitivities

Some children may be nervous about using a knife in this context.